Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Specific Coronary Artery Calcification in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Background: Myocardial infarctions at different locations have been related to different sets of risk factors. This study was designed to examine the association between cardiovascular risk factors and specific coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Methods: The study population comprised 573 postmenopausal women selected from a population-based cohort study. Established vascular risk factors were measured. The women underwent a multi detector-row computed tomography (16-MDCT) (Philips Mx 8000 IDT 16) to assess coronary calcium. The Agatston score was used to quantify coronary calcium. Logistic regression models were utilized to assess the relations.

Results: The prevalence of coronary artery calcification (Agatston score>0) was 61.5% (n=348). CAC was most common in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery with a prevalence of 43.9%; and the rates of prevalence in the right coronary artery (RCA), the circumflex (LCX), the left main artery (LM), and the posterior descending artery (PDA) were 23.1%, 19.4%, 15.8%, and 0.3%, respectively. In the multivariate regression models, age was predominantly related to the calcification in the LAD and LCX, low density lipoprotein to calcification in the LAD, and cholesterol to the calcification of the RCA. Hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were related to the calcification of the LCX, whereas smoking was predominantly related to the calcification of both LAD and RCA. Finally, age, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure were significantly related to the calcification in the LM.

Conclusion: Our findings showed that the consequences of elevated risk factor levels on the development of atherosclerosis appeared to be different across the segments of the coronary arteries.